As part of the ongoing measures to raise the bar of efficiency in passport operations in the country, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has flagged off the construction of the proposed Abeokuta Pass­port Office in Ogun State.

The service also com­missioned the Passport Front Office in Kano, Kano State, which would significantly make the ac­quisition of the Nigerian passport seamless for the travelling public.

In a statement by Tony Akuneme, NIS Public Re­lations Officer, Deputy Controller noted that Mr. Isah Jere Idris, performed the ground breaking cere­mony for the new Abeoku­ta Passport Office, as part of his tour of immigra­tion formations in Zone A, comprising Lagos and Ogun states.

The statement hinted that Idris assured that he would not relent in push­ing the frontiers of im­proved and better service delivery to Nigerians.

He described the new passport office building project as timely, stress­ing that on completion, it would enhance passport processing and produc­tion.

“Part of my agenda is to make passport acquisition seamless. And the only way we could do this is to improve, build the struc­tures, and equip it so that Nigerians can get these services seamlessly with­out tears. This is indeed a timely project for upgrad­ing our service delivery to the people of Ogun State and Nigeria as a whole.

“This development will surely enhance passport processing and production in the Gateway State. I con­gratulate the personnel of the Ogun State Command of the NIS, and I can as­sure that this project will also help them deliver op­timal service to the people of the state at all times,” he said.

Idris further commend­ed the government and people of the state for their unflinching support to the immigration to always stand for the progress of the nation.

He also commended sister agencies in the state for their support and cooperation with the NIS, saying this had been proved further by the pres­ence of their top echelon at the ground-breaking ceremony.

As part of his tour of the state command, the Im­migration boss also paid courtesy visits on the state governor, Mr. Dapo Abio­dun and the Alake/Para­mount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, thanking them for their support to the NIS.

He lauded the governor in particular for the ap­proval and allocation of land for the construction of the proposed Abeokuta Passport Office, as well as the refurbishing of three operational vehicles by the Ogun State Security Trust Fund, noting that the gesture has enhanced mobilisation and patrol operations of the service.

Governor Abiodun and Oba Gbadebo commended the immigration boss for the positive reforms of the passport administration and border management, with the monarch stat­ing that NIS played a sig­nificant role in ensuring efficient manning of our land borders and air and sea ports during the Coro­navirus pandemic in 2020.